£9m takeaway for Just Eat as profits soar

Just Eat made £9 million from Friday night Chinese and hangover pizzas last year as the online takeaway business revealed profits more than quadrupled in 2012.

Just Eat, which lets people order from local takeaways online or via its app, saw profits hit £9 million in the year to December 2012, up from £2.1 million in 2011.

The London-based firm, originally founded in Denmark in 2000, put the profits leap down to a 87% growth in orders and a 49% jump in the number of restaurants covered by the company.

David Buttress, chief executive of Just Eat UK said: “2012 was a very good year for Just Eat. We’re delighted with our success and huge thanks to all our employees and partners who have helped make us the clear leader in the takeaway market.”

Just Eat, which works with more than 18,000 restaurants in the UK, also launched a major TV advertising campaign last year and earlier this year signed a nine-month sponsorship deal with broadcaster Dave.

The company’s revenues almost doubled to £41.4m in 2012, up from £21.6 million a year earlier. The highest paid director, who was not named, took home £1.3 million, up from £174,000 in 2011.

Just Eat, which appointed its first UK marketing director last month, also revealed it ploughed an incredible £75,000 into its own political party as part of a costly PR stunt. The Don’t Cook Party’s candidate Mr Mozzarella earned just 73 in last November’s Corby by-election.